Natt Roberts said, his voice musing, "But even that isn't the important thing. The Co-ordinator sent us here to find a method of bringing backward cultures to industrialization. Have you got a blueprint to show him, when you return? Can you trace out the history of Genoa for this past half century and say, this war was necessary for progress—but that should have been avoided? Or is this whole free competition program of yours actually nothing but chaos which sometimes works out wonderfully for some nations, but actually destroys others? You have scorned our methods, our collectivized society—but when we return, we'll have a blueprint of how we arrived where we are."
Gunther banged the table with his gavel. "Just a moment. Is there any reason why we have to listen to these accusations when—"
Watson held up a hand, curtly, "Let us finish. If you have something to say, we'll gladly listen when we're through."
Gunther was flushed but he snapped, "Go ahead then, but don't think any of we Genoese are being taken in."
Watson said, "True enough, it took us a time to unite our people ..."
"Time and blood," Peter MacDonald muttered.
"... But once underway the Texcocan State has moved on in a progression unknown in any of the Genoese nations. To industrialize a society you must reach a certain taking off point, a point where you have sufficient industry, particularly steel, sufficient power, sufficient scientists, technicians and skilled workers. Once that point has been reached you can move in almost a geometric progression. You build a steel mill and with the steel produced you build two more mills the following year, which in turn gives you the material for four the next year."
Buchwald grunted his disbelief.
Watson looked up and down the line of Genoese, the Earthmen as well as the natives. "On Texcoco we have now reached that point. We have a trained, eager population of over one billion persons. Our universities are turning out highly trained effectives at the rate of more than twenty million a year. We have located all the raw materials we will need. We are now under way." He looked at them in heavy amusement. "By the end of the next decade we will bury you."
Martin Gunther said calmly, "Are you through?"